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Peachtree Road

by Anne Rivers Siddons

3.78 · rating details · 1,777 ratings · 80 reviews

Headstrong, exuberant, and independent, Lucy Bondurant is a devastating beauty who will never become the demure Southern lady her mother and society demand. Sheppard Gibbs Bondurant III, Lucy's older cousin, is too shy and bookish to become the classically suave and gregarious Southern gentleman his family expects. Growing up together in a sprawling home on Atlanta's Peach

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Mass Market Paperbound, 832 pages

Published September 1st 1998 by HarperTorch

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Jul 14, 2011

deLille rated it

Shelves: beach-read, historical, southern

For anyone who lives or has ever lived in Atlanta, this book is fascinating for its historical references alone. It describes what people tend to refer to as the "old money" in Atlanta, although Shep, the main character, is quick to note that no money in Atlanta is truly "old".

When evaluating a book I like to think about what my biggest take away is... what did I learn? This book made me, a fiscal conservative and lifelong Republican, realize that estate taxes a...moreFor anyone who lives or has ever lived in Atlanta, this book is fascinating for its historical references alone. It describes what people tend to refer to as the "old money" in Atlanta, although Shep, the main character, is quick to note that no money in Atlanta is truly "old".

When evaluating a book I like to think about what my biggest take away is... what did I learn? This book made me, a fiscal conservative and lifelong Republican, realize that estate taxes are absolutely necessary to ensure the long-term stability of society. I kept thinking to myself that Shep would have taken a different turn in life, pulled himself out of his decades-long funk, if only he had needed to get a job! To be awash in trust-fund money allowed him to live in an other-worldly state, ensconced in his summerhouse, never doing much of anything except making coffee and writing another family's history.

That being said, Siddons is masterful at creating characters that are truly differentiated and not one-dimensional. The only character I did find to be bit flat and hard to believe was Sarah, but even the character Lucy commented on that aspect of Sarah's "facade". Siddons also makes the generation of my parents come alive -- she has way of making you feel like you are right there. (Suddenly, things my mother has told me about growing up in Charleston, SC in the 1950s feel more relevant when I find myself transported to that time and place.) She also does a great job at showing how Buckhead was transformed from a bucolic paradise to a hustling skyscraper city over the last 50 years.

Admittedly, the first 75 pages of this book sounds a bit like listening to an old lady prattle on about the times back in her day... I was bored. But then the book started to pick up speed and the pace during the second half got faster and faster with more and more OMG moments until I began to think "What more calamities can one woman pack in one book?" And then she did it.

Wow. Read the book. You'll see. This is a great summer read.(less)

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Jan 27, 2011

Dick Edwards rated it

This book is largely set in Buckhead, where I used to live (1948-1956) and went to school (North Fulton HS 1948-1950). She defines (p.23) Buckhead as stretching from Peachtree Creek on the south to West Paces Ferry Road on the north, from Northside Drive on the west to Peachtree Road on the east. My sense was that it went further east than just Peachtree Road. She gives it an area of some 4 square miles. She mentions Crawford-Long Hospital, where my first child was born. In 1907 the first t...moreThis book is largely set in Buckhead, where I used to live (1948-1956) and went to school (North Fulton HS 1948-1950). She defines (p.23) Buckhead as stretching from Peachtree Creek on the south to West Paces Ferry Road on the north, from Northside Drive on the west to Peachtree Road on the east. My sense was that it went further east than just Peachtree Road. She gives it an area of some 4 square miles. She mentions Crawford-Long Hospital, where my first child was born. In 1907 the first trolley line was laid down from downtown Atlanta to Buckhead. Jim Dickey wrote a poem about “The Buckhead Boys.” (p.32), and was supposedly one himself. Buckhead is called Buckhead because in 1838 a man named Hardy Ivy mounted the head of a buck on a tree over his tavern and crossroads store (p.34). E. Rivers School is first mentioned on page 57. Another link to my own childhood is the presence of polio, which kills Lucy’s little baby brother. The author says (p. 120) that in any family group there is a natural scapegoat. The narrator goes to NFHS (p. 142). The terms Pinks and Jells is discussed on p. 147, and the term Cocksman is used on p. 148. The author uses the term, Great American Nooky Quest, at the bottom of p. 157. The Varsity’s Flossie May is mentioned on p. 183 (I have heard him chant/sing the Varsity menu many times). The narrator graduated from Princeton in 1958 (p. 250). On p. 254 is the emotional high point (so far) of the book: Sarah says to Shep as she is boarding the plane from NY (where she had been visiting him) to Atlanta: Don’t come home. If you come home, it will be to her (meaning Lucy). The author misjudges Kennedy vs. Nixon debate on p. 274. At the top of p. 278, she refers to Army Rangers as “murderous peers.” The narrator’s mother is killed on a plane crash with a group of members of the Atlanta Art Association (p.397), who were touring the art galleries and museums of Europe. The plane crashed while taking off from Orly. This is the crash that killed the mother of my HS friend Ralph Barry (who’s picture is on p. G-37 of my book). Tragedies, misfortune, and early deaths strike the friends and relatives of the narrator (Shep Bondurant), seemingly far more than the average person. He tells his best friend and 1st cousin Lucy Bondurant to take the gun she is holding (and with which she shot her husband) and shoot herself – and she does. The ending of the book is written in such an obtuse (to me) manner, that I had trouble interpreting what it meant. Was he committing suicide, merely jumping into the Chattahoochee, or just having a dream or vision? Pat Stacy thinks he was definitely killing himself. I suspect that she is correct, especially considering the negativity and pessimism inherent in the entire book. This is mirrored in Shep’s sadness about the transformation of Atlanta from an idyllic, sleepy Southern town into a commercial big city. Ms. Siddons writes beautifully and with fine imagery in describing the personalities and psychologies of her characters. She makes a huge gaff (I didn’t write down the page #) in referring to the county as “North Fulton County,” unless of course it has been re-districted since I lived there. In giving this a rating, I have trouble separating out the personal interest I have in the specific locale of the book. Without that, I would probably only give it a 5, given the unremittingly joyless sadness inherent in the work. Since the rating is my own personal rating, I will give it an 8.(less)

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Sep 06, 2010

Dorothy rated it

Yes, I have to agree with The Baltimore Sun's report that Peachtree Road was a love story, a historical novel, a mystery, and a tragedy all wrapped into one. The love/hate relationship which existed between the two main characters, Shep and Lucy, can be compared to a plot found in a Shakespearean tragedy, because in the end they not only destroy themselves but almost everyone else who knew them. However, I do not agree that the book could be seen as another Gone With the Wind!
The l...more Yes, I have to agree with The Baltimore Sun's report that Peachtree Road was a love story, a historical novel, a mystery, and a tragedy all wrapped into one. The love/hate relationship which existed between the two main characters, Shep and Lucy, can be compared to a plot found in a Shakespearean tragedy, because in the end they not only destroy themselves but almost everyone else who knew them. However, I do not agree that the book could be seen as another Gone With the Wind!
The love/hate relationship between these main characters begins when the book opens as spunky, little Lucy makes her grand entrance into the Bondurant household. " Something stinks, she says." These two little words turn seven year old Shep's innocent, pampered world upside down. Within seconds after that five year old Lucy reveals to him that his family is rich, where babies come from, and that he is too old not to have a room of his own!
He had never experienced such God awful honesty in his life before. This cousin of his was fearles, bright, independent, and willful. She was everything that he was not! It's no wonder that he was instantaneously caught under her spell. Yes, Shep was caught under that old Black Magic called, Love. Hearing her say words like Titty, Shitty, and the F--- word were second nature to her. This is how she enticed, denigrated, and controlled not only her audience, but him.
Shep said that Lucy had a dark side. He knew it, and yet he could not, for the most part, keep from being drawn into her danger zone.
Throughout the book, she takes him and others on a series of dangerous escapades that ultimately made me hate her. "What?" I asked myself would I have done if I had a child like her?" Shoot myself? Tear my hair out? Tear her hair out? Send her off to a nunnery? You, the reader, can try to solve the problem of this kid gone wrong in your own way!
When all is said and done, Ms. Siddons waits until the very end of the book to reveal the underlying cause of Lucy's outrageous behavior.
Ah! And therein lies the mystery. A mystery that can only be solved by reading this 816 page book.
This book afforded me insight into the tenor of the times, the lifestyle of the rich of Atlanta, a better understanding of what kids do and think as they try to figure out their own lives, and the lives of their friends, acquaintances, and parents. Looking back on it all, it's a wonder that any of us survive. As a matter of fact, some of us don't!(less)

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Nov 01, 2011

Linda marked it as to-read

Is it not a wonderful experience to read about people and places you know as home. I added this to my 'to-read' list because of your review. Have you read HEARTBREAK HOTEL by Mrs. Siddoms? The title may throw readers off, but read it if yoi get a chance. Are you a writer, or a critic? Your reviews are excellent. You have read Robert Ludlum. So have I but the books listed with B&N are not ringing a bell. Everybody my age had a father who fought in WWII? My father was a radio/sonar operator...more

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Jul 11, 2010

Stephanie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: summer-reads, wish-list

Peachtree Road is a sweeping Southern magnum opus, centering around Old Atlanta and Buckhead. It follows the lives of Lucy and Shep Bondurant, first cousins with an incredibly close bond. The synopsis on the back may lead you to believe that it’s about Lucy (even though the narration is done entirely by Shep), but in a sense it is really about neither; it’s about a time and place and a generation disintegrated by its own weight and glittering “perfection.” Ms. Siddons’ prose is rambling and exce...morePeachtree Road is a sweeping Southern magnum opus, centering around Old Atlanta and Buckhead. It follows the lives of Lucy and Shep Bondurant, first cousins with an incredibly close bond. The synopsis on the back may lead you to believe that it’s about Lucy (even though the narration is done entirely by Shep), but in a sense it is really about neither; it’s about a time and place and a generation disintegrated by its own weight and glittering “perfection.” Ms. Siddons’ prose is rambling and excessive and heady, much like the unconquerable honeysuckle vine whose scent seems to drift directly out of the pages. The ultimate plot may remind you of V.C. Andrew’s books, but done with style, grace, and almost a little bit of wry humor. If Peachtree Road is anything, it is extremely well written.

At certain times it’s almost too much: too much description, too much tragedy, too many characters and themes, too many pages left towards the inevitable conclusion that you only begin to accept around the same time Shep Bondurant does. It’s almost as exhausting just to read as it is for Shep (and others) to be bathed in “Lucy-ness,” but in the end I would say its worth it. The last two paragraphs may leave you scratching your head, but for myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that only good things followed, even if they weren’t talked about (and after 800 pages, I don’t think I could have mustered the energy anyway). While it’s true that the book could have been honed down and chrystallized with some good editing, I would almost say that doing so would have diminished it in some way. That having been said, at least one part could have been cut out cleanly due to the impact it should have had but didn’t.

My final verdict is this: I will read this book many times in the coming years, and learn something new from it each time, until it has been absorbed into my brain in all its Southern glory and tragedy and abundant summer. My review may seem like a complaint, but Peachtree Road is as vivid, alive and deliciously exhausting as Lucy Bondurant herself.(less)

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Aug 26, 2011

Kim rated it

Writing this long after reading the book. I mainly recall it being too wordy. The plot was interesting, but it was a challenge to get through this book and quite depressing at times.

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Apr 16, 2007

Julz rated it

Shelves: re-reads

This was her best novel, in my opinion. Richly drawn characters, and a setting that not only impacts, but drives the plot. It makes me want to visit Atlanta and see the homes, but I have a feeling they've probably all been razed to build office buildings by now!

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Nov 13, 2009

Laura rated it

This book was horribly disappointing, mostly because I thought it was going to be wonderful. I began reading it with the idea that it would be similar to Gone with the Wind, and of course, it was not at all. The plot was interesting at times, but the book was just too long, too drawn out; the last 200 hundred pages were not much more than painful. And unfortunately, by the end of the story I found myself hating (and despising in some cases) every single one of the characters. My other major comp...more

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Jul 26, 2011

Donna rated it

Shelves: fiction

Peachtree Road is a story told by Sheppard Bondurant III. It begins on the day that his cousin, Lucy Bondurant, mother, sister and brother come to live with their family on Peachtree Road. A love-hate relationship ensues that keeps Shep jumping to keep Lucy in control. Lucy encounters many relationships in her life, some good and some not so good. Shep is always there it seems to get her out of a jam.

Shep is shy and bookish and is destined to be a failure in the eyes of his family....more

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Aug 24, 2010

Sean Farmer rated it

An epic novel that tells the story of Atlanta, specifically Buckhead. The main character narrates a story that could only be told in Atlanta. Although this is fiction it reads like a true account of a great family, beautifully describing the ups and downs, heartbreaks and marvelous highs of Sheppard Bondurant and his friends. One of the most lyrical paragraphs I have ever read is the description of the Bondurant house on a cold Christmas night. I highly recommend it to anyone who lives in Atlant...more

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Jan 15, 2012

James Seawel rated it

Friend Charlee recommended, no, insisted I read this book, but throughout the first half, well-written though it was, I had no idea why it was a must-read. Then it got good. What was a solid read became a page-turner as the story that Rivers Siddons had so carefully developed took a life of its own. This must be on the short-list of Southern fiction greats.

Set in Buckhead, a wealthy aristocratic suburb of Atlanta, Peachtree Road is as much a central figure as are Shep and Lucy B...more

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Sep 14, 2008

Kellie rated it

Shelves: 2006-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 14, 2010

Bryant Whelan rated it

I have a signed first edition from when this first came out, and having lived in Atlanta for seven years the novel was a great read at the time. I can't recall whether it has the ability to cross over to appeal to the generalist southern reader, but I still have the book, which says a lot. I have given seemingly hundreds of books to charity sales over the years to keep my shelves tidy and the moving boxes lighter, and this one made the cut.

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Apr 10, 2009

Mary Anne rated it

Peachtree Road is a guilty pleasure. It was the first Siddons novel that I read and I think it was her best, though I admit I probably feel that way because I live in Atlanta and am familiar with her geographical and historical references.
This novel satisfied my requirements for a true "beach Read." The story quickly drew me in and I wanted to read until I was finished. It was interesting and I cared about the characters, but I didn't have to think too hard. A great story.

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Dec 06, 2010

Colleen rated it

Shelves: adult-fiction

On the day that Luch comes to live with her cousin Shepard in the sprawling home on Peachtree Road she is 5 and he is 7. Before the day is over she has taught him "two things that altered the landscape of my small life". A love story about 2 cousins whose love-hate relationship is played out against the changing landscape over the lat 4 decades (story begins in 1930). Written 1988

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Feb 12, 2011

Linda rated it

Told (not entirely successfully) from a male point of view, Sheppard Gibbs Bondurant, aka Gibby, recounts his relationship with his cousin Lucy. Lucy came to live in Atlanta with her mother and baby brother when she was 5 and Gibby was 7; even then Lucy was haunted by nightmares and was a demanding and clinging child. They grew up in Atlanta society through the 50's and 60's Shep graduated from Princeton and got a job in New York City, vowing he would never return to live in Atlanta in spit...more

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Jun 24, 2007

desertmolly rated it

Recommends it for: yes, if you like Anne Rivers Siddons

Still reading my way through this one..very much enjoyed most of her novels, especially UpIsland and Fox's Earth. What struck me odd and took getting used to in this book was that the narrators' voice is male, yet Siddons continues to use her lush and rich language (feels all female to me)and so language and character are not really in sync ...so finally..I got through it and the poor ending doesn't do the rest of the book justice. I just hate crappy endings..it's like when they run out of mone...more

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Jun 24, 2009

Tori rated it

one of my alltime favorite books; written from the point of view of a man (unusual for this author), Shep, growing up in Buckhead in the 50's and 60's - follows his life and the life of his cousin, Lucy - really interesting since I live in Atlanta - one of my favorite authors and this is my favorite books of hers

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Oct 01, 2009

Rudi rated it

Shelves: definately-not-to-re-read

It is a bit slow. Forget the first 150 pages, that could have been told in 15 pages....after that it is slowly becoming interesting. But it probably would help if you have an interest in Atlanta (which I don't). Alas, later it dies down again. The ending is mildly surprising, but all in all this book would have been better if it had only 20% of the pages. Too slow.

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Feb 08, 2011

Samm Seals rated it

holy cow this was a hard read!!!! took days!!! characters were very interesting, however, they were wrapped up a little too simply for my taste. LOVED the historical aspect of the that period. was fabulous. I've got one more Siddons to read and then we'll see if I read her anymore.....

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Apr 18, 2009

Judy rated it

Same review...great! Great information about Atlanta society both upper class and lower class. Again, twists and turns in the plot that keeps you constantly on edge and turning pages as fast as you can. One of those great books where you think you will never again find one so GOOD.

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Jan 11, 2012

Judy rated it

· review of another edition

I read the book when it first came out, so memory fades, but I loved it! Being a native Atlantan made it of special interest. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is the time that has passed since I read it. It might be a little light for me all these years later.

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Jan 16, 2009

Marsha rated it

A must-read for Atlantans. I read it after I had moved here and it got me interested in Atlanta's rich and colorful history. Everytime I drive Peachtree Road in Buckhead I glance over at the last mansion and think about this great book.

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Feb 20, 2010

Ashley rated it

Recommended to Ashley by: ashley.miller224@yahoo.com

I love this author, but this was the first book of her's that I could not finish. The main character's long trains of thought and observations were so mind-numbingly dull and tedious that I had to put the book down. A big disappointment from an otherwise great author.

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Aug 06, 2011

Andrea rated it

I enjoy the familiarity of Atlanta. It was definitely a different time and place. She has a clear understanding of Southern Literature without demeaning the Old South.

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Dec 30, 2008

Kitty Tomlinson rated it

Haunting tale of first cousins Shep Bondurant and Lucy Bondurant Venable told against the backdrop of coming-of-age Atlanta. Excellent read.

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Jan 19, 2009

Ann Marie rated it

I re-read this book over Christmas at my parents - had forgotten how good it was, and how much I do miss the South.

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Jun 22, 2011

carrell rated it

· review of another edition

Nice historical descriptions of Atlanta, including tying in the 1962 Atlanta Art Associate plane crash in Paris. .

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Mar 27, 2009

Cindi rated it

The lady certainly loves her descriptives, but I did love this book...right up to the last page, that is.

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Nov 30, 2008

Mary Jo rated it

I have been a big fan of Siddons for many years. Peachtree Road is the first book of hers that I read, and I absolutely loved it. Maybe it's because most of her stories center around the Atlanta area and I love Atlanta. Who knows? Peachtree Road is a GREAT read!

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